EMX Development System

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1 July 21, 2010 G H I Getting Started E l e c t r o n i c s

2 Table of Contents Table of Contents 1.Introduction...3 The objective of this Guide Getting Started System Setup The Emulator...6 Create a Project...6 Selecting Transport Interface...8 Executing (Deploying) the project...9 Debugging Breakpoints Running on Hardware...11 MFDeploy can Ping!...12 Deploying to Hardware...13 Connect MFDeploy to show debugging messages...13 Checking EMX firmware and TinyBooter Version Deleting The Deployed Project...15 Emergency user application code deletion Assemblies with EMX Project What are Assemblies?...16 Standard Assemblies...16 GHI NETMF assemblies...16 Adding Assemblies to Visual C# Project TinyBooter and Firmware Update Checking the Firmware Version TinyBooter Update through GHI Boot Loader EMX firmware update through TinyBooter What is next?...27 Legal Notice...28 Licensing...28 Disclaimer...28 Page 2 of 28

3 Introduction 1. Introduction is the official kit from GHI Electronics for the EMX module. This kit exposes the various peripherals and interfaces that make it an ideal starting point for any.net Micro Framework project. Furthermore, most of EMX module signals such as GPIO, SPI and UART are accessible on a 0.1" header for rapid prototyping. Brochure and Pin-outs Document provides for a more detailed view of this system. USB Host RS232 D-SUB XBee Socket UEXT Pow er Indicator LED Tw o Programmable LEDs USB Client Pow er Connector 6Volts RJ45 Ethernet JTAG (Disabled by Default) RTC Battery LCD Header 3.5 TFT Display With Touch Screen Reset SD/MMC Connector Buttons Pad CAN D-SUB JP2 Header Front View Page 3 of 28

Introduction EMX Module Display Back Light Circuit RS232 converter CAN Physical Layer Chip Back View The objective of this Guide This guide will help you in the first steps to use EMX Module through

4 Introduction EMX Module Display Back Light Circuit RS232 converter CAN Physical Layer Chip Back View The objective of this Guide This guide will help you in the first steps to use EMX Module through the Development System. From here, we will show you how to connect EMX, make sure it is running, load a simple program, and explain how to update the internal firmware. This guide only covers very basic points about EMX. More details are provided in the user manual. Page 4 of 28

Getting Started 2. Getting Started 2.1. System Setup Before we try anything, we want to make sure the PC is setup with needed software. First download and install Visual C# Express 2010.

5 Getting Started 2. Getting Started 2.1. System Setup Before we try anything, we want to make sure the PC is setup with needed software. First download and install Visual C# Express Now, download and install.net Micro Framework 4.1 SDK (not the porting kit) If you have Visual Studio 2010 then you can skip this step. if link above didn't work, search for.net Micro Framework 4.1 SDK. Finally, install the GHI NETMF SDK (Software Development Kit) from EMX's downloads page. The SDK comes in a zip file, extract it and then run setup.exe to install the SDK. Page 5 of 28

Getting Started 2.2. The Emulator NETMF includes an emulator that allows running application right on the PC. For our first project, we will use the emulator to run a very simple application.

6 Getting Started 2.2. The Emulator NETMF includes an emulator that allows running application right on the PC. For our first project, we will use the emulator to run a very simple application. Create a Project Open Visual C# express and, from the menu, select file -> New Project. The wizard now should have Micro Framework option in the left menu. Click on it, and from the templates, select Console Application Page 6 of 28

Getting Started Click the OK button and you will have a new project that is ready to run. The project has only one C# file, called Program.cs, which contains a few lines of code.

7 Getting Started Click the OK button and you will have a new project that is ready to run. The project has only one C# file, called Program.cs, which contains a few lines of code. The file is shown in Solution Explorer window. If this window is not showing then you can open it by clicking View->Solution Explorer from the menu. using System; using Microsoft.SPOT; namespace MFConsoleApplication1 { public class Program { public static void Main() { Debug.Print( Resources.GetString(Resources.StringResources.String1)); } } } For simplicity change the code to make it look like the listing below. Page 7 of 28

8 Getting Started using System; using Microsoft.SPOT; public class Program { public static void Main() { Debug.Print("Amazing!"); } } Selecting Transport Interface Do not worry if you do not understand the code. We will explain it later. For now, we want to run it on the emulator. Let us make sure you have everything setup properly. Click on Project->Properties from the menu. In the new showing window, we want to make sure we select the emulator. On the left side tabs, select.net Micro Framework and make sure the window looks like the image below. Transport: Emulator Device: Microsoft Emulator Page 8 of 28

Getting Started Make sure the output window is visible, click on View->Output Executing (Deploying) the project Finally, we are ready to run our first application. Press F5 key on the computer.

After you press F5, the application will be compiled and loaded on the emulator, and in couple seconds everything will stop!

9 Getting Started Make sure the output window is visible, click on View->Output Executing (Deploying) the project Finally, we are ready to run our first application. Press F5 key on the computer. This is a very useful shortcut and you will be using it a lot to run your applications. After you press F5, the application will be compiled and loaded on the emulator, and in couple seconds everything will stop! That is because our program had finished execution so fast that we didn't see much. We want to debug the code now. Debugging means that you are able to step in the code and see what it is doing. This is one of the greatest values of NETMF. This time use F11 instead of F5, this will step in the application instead of just running it. This will deploy the application on the emulator and stop at the very first line of the code. This is indicated by the yellow arrow. Page 9 of 28

10 Getting Started C# applications always start from a method called Main, and this is where the arrow had stopped. Press F11 again and the debugger will run the next line of code, which is the line you changed before. You probably have guessed it right, this line will print Amazing! to the debug window. The debug window is the output window on Visual C# express. Make sure Output window is visible like explained earlier and press F11 one more time. Once you step on that line, you will see the word Amazing! Showing in the output window. The Program that you've just deployed is called "Managed Code" in.net Micro Framework Terminology. Debugging Breakpoints Breakpoints are another useful feature when debugging code. While the application is running, the debugger checks if execution has reached a breakpoint. If so, the execution will pause. Click the bar right to the left of the line that prints Amazing!. This will show a red dot which is the breakpoint. Page 10 of 28

Getting Started Now press F5 to run the software and when the application reaches the breakpoint the debugger will pause it as showing in the image below.

Connect The development system using the USB cable. No power is needed as EMX Development System uses USB for power.

11 Getting Started Now press F5 to run the software and when the application reaches the breakpoint the debugger will pause it as showing in the image below. Now, you can step in the code using F11 or continue execution using F Running on Hardware We are now ready to connect to the PC. Connect The development system using the USB cable. No power is needed as EMX Development System uses USB for power. If this is the first time you plug the system to your PC then windows will ask for drivers. Direct windows to the GHI NETMF interface driver available in GHI NETMF SDK under USB Drivers Folder. Page 11 of 28

12 Getting Started Important Note: The development system with the many peripherals, such as the TFT display, requires relatively high power. So make sure that you connect to a direct USB port at your PC or to a powered USB hub, or the board might not function correctly due to the insufficient supplied power. If you can not provide a USB port with good power or you are not sure. you can connect external power directly to the development system. MFDeploy can Ping! Before we use the hardware, let us make sure it is properly connected. The NETMF (.NET Micro Framework) SDK comes with a software from Microsoft called MFDeploy. There are many good uses for MFDeploy but for now we only need it to ping the device. Basically, ping means MFDeploy will say Hi to the device and then checks if the device will respond with Hi. This is to make sure the device is connected properly and communication has no issues. Open MFDeploy and connect EMX using the included USB cable to your PC. If this is the first time you plug in EMX, Windows will ask for drivers. Supply the driver from the SDK folder and wait until windows is finished. Page 12 of 28

13 Getting Started Deploying to Hardware Now that we checked the hardware is working using MFDeploy, we need to go back to Visual C# express. From the project properties, select USB for transport and EMX for the device. Make sure your setup looks similar to the image below. Allow a couple seconds to ensure the hardware has completed the boot up process then press F5, we will now send our simple application to EMX and it will run right inside the real hardware. Switching from emulator to real hardware is that simple! Try the steps we tried with the emulator, like setting breakpoints and using F11 to step in the code. Note that Debug.Print will still forward the debug messages from the hardware to the output window on Visual C# express. You have to keep in mind that only one software can talk to EMX interface at the same time. In another word, you can not Ping the hardware through MFDeploy if it is already connected through Visual Studio. Connect MFDeploy to show debugging messages After Deploying the application through Visual Studio. The application still works on EMX even if is Visual Studio was disconnected and it will run every time you reset or recycle power on EMX. User can still view the boot up and debugging messages by connecting MFDeploy to Page 13 of 28

14 Getting Started USB. Simply after you connect USB cable and you can ping EMX in MFDeploy, click Target->Connect. After this you can even reset the board and see all the boot up sequence messages and any debugging messages including the strings printed out in the code using Debug.Print(). In our previous example,"amazing!". When done, you can disconnect using Target->Disconnect. Important Note: If you did not see the debugging messages, press the Ping button and the debug messages will be displayed after. Page 14 of 28

15 Getting Started Checking EMX firmware and TinyBooter Version At this point and before proceeding, it is important to check if you need to update your EMX firmware. When you download a new SDK, it comes with new firmware that needs to be sent to EMX. Please see system update section at the end Deleting The Deployed Project User can always over-deploy the current application (project) on EMX by deploying the newer application from Visual C#. but in some cases user might need only to delete the current application. this can be accomplished using MFDeploy tool explained before: Open MFDeploy, choose USB and EMX from device list and ensure you get positive response when pinging Then click the erase button: Emergency user application code deletion In some cases, user needs to delete the application because it is locking up the device or blocking the USB debugging interface. but Visual C# or MFDeploy tool does not help here and can not communicate with the device. In this case you should access The Tinybooter mode (by pressing and holding Up and Down buttons on system bootup, you will see "Tinybooter on the screen", release the buttons the Erase the application code using MFDeploy as explained earlier. Page 15 of 28

16 Assemblies with EMX Project 3. Assemblies With EMX Project 3.1. What are Assemblies? Hardware/Software features are accessed through Managed code using C# Classes with their members such as methods, properties and variables. On EMX you may neeed assemblies from 2 sources: Standard Assemblies.NET Micro Framework SDK includes pre-compiled assemblies that contain the managed code of various classes for hardware features such as Debug Class that you've just used in the example to print the string "Amazing!" using the Print Method. Users do not see the source code of these classes but can use these classes by simply adding the relevant assemblies to the Visual C# project..net Micro Framework library examples: Microsoft.SPOT.Hardware Microsoft.SPOT.Native System.IO Classes are described is in.net Micro Framework SDK documentation which also includes information about the required assemblies. GHI NETMF assemblies EMX hardware adds more functionality on top of the.net Micro Framework. For example, hardware peripherals such as CAN, Analog converters, PWM,...etc are not directly supported in.net Micro Framework. However, they can be easily used with EMX. The assembly provides access to hardware peripherals, storage solutions, USB connectivity, and many other features. The assembly files and their documentation are included with GHI NETMF SDK. These assembly files must be added to your Visual Studio project in order to be able to use the extra features. EMX uses the same assemblies available for ChipworkX and USBizi. This also means, you can switch from EMX to USBizi to ChipworkX without the need to change any line of code! GHI NETMF library examples: GHIElectronics.NETMF.Hardware GHIElectronics.NETMF.System GHIElectronics.NETMF.Net Page 16 of 28

Go to the Menu and select project --> Add Reference... 2.

17 Assemblies with EMX Project Adding Assemblies to Visual C# Project Adding a library is pretty simple. 1. Go to the Menu and select project --> Add Reference Choose the library that you need then click OK. 3. We can now see the new Assembly reference with the References in the solution explorer. Page 17 of 28

TinyBooter and Firmware Update 4. TinyBooter And Firmware Update EMX includes three pieces of embedded software, GHI boot loader, TinyBooter and EMX firmware.

18 TinyBooter and Firmware Update 4. TinyBooter And Firmware Update EMX includes three pieces of embedded software, GHI boot loader, TinyBooter and EMX firmware. Important note: Always make sure the firmware loaded on the device matches the firmware version associated with the GHI NETMF SDK EMX firmware. Ideally, whenever you install a new SDK on your PC, you will also update the firmware on your device and update the assemblies you have added to your application. the next sections explains how to check the firmware version number and how to updating the firmware is explained here Checking the Firmware Version Before updating the firmware, you can check the version number and make sure it needs to be updated or if you have the latest installed. Make sure you have the latest SDK and firmware installed. Then go to w (EMX downloads), the current GHI NETMF SDK version is shown in the download link. You can download and install the SDK. When done, the version release notes and changes are shown automatically. These are also available in the SDK installation folder. Page 18 of 28

TinyBooter and Firmware Update After you have the SDK installed, you can see the Release Notes file, for example EMX firmware version number is 4.0.1.

19 TinyBooter and Firmware Update After you have the SDK installed, you can see the Release Notes file, for example EMX firmware version number is and Tinybooter version number is in this SDK. The easiest way to verify the version numbers on is to read them on EMX's display. Page 19 of 28

display. The version number is right after that line. 4.2. TinyBooter Update through GHI Boot Loader At power up, a GHI boot loader takes over the processor and validates TinyBooter stored in FLASH.

20 TinyBooter and Firmware Update On system boot up EMX firmware version number is printed out on second line of the screen. To read TinyBooter version number, all you have to do is to access TinyBooter (Press and hold Up and Down buttons on system boot up then release the buttons when you see "TinyBooter Mode" on EMX's display. The version number is right after that line TinyBooter Update through GHI Boot Loader At power up, a GHI boot loader takes over the processor and validates TinyBooter stored in FLASH. If TinyBooter was found and was valid, execution is transferred to TinyBooter. First, it is better to start fresh before loading the new firmware: 1. First, install the latest GHI NETMF SDK (which includes the latest EMX firmware and Tinybooter binary files). 1. Install TeraTerm software. We highly recommend you download and install from GHI website: Download TeraTerm. 2. Disconnect the development system from power and from PC then open TeraTerm. 3. Select serial and click the arrow to drop down the list of COM ports. Note how many COM ports you have and write them down. On my system, I only have COM3. Page 20 of 28

TinyBooter and Firmware Update 4. Close TeraTerm for now. 5. Connect back the development system. 6. Press and Hold UP, Select and Down buttons the press and release Reset button. 7.

21 TinyBooter and Firmware Update 4. Close TeraTerm for now. 5. Connect back the development system. 6. Press and Hold UP, Select and Down buttons the press and release Reset button. 7. Release the three buttons. 8. Windows will ask for a new driver. Driver file is GHI_BootLoader_Interface.inf 9. After windows is done installing the new drivers, open TeraTerm and observe what COM ports are now available. You should have a new COM port. This new COM port (serial port) is actually a USB connection between windows and GHI Boot loader. Windows applications do not know that this is a USB connection and treat it just like if it was a serial port. 10. Select the new COM port and clock OK. Now press the b button on the keyboard. You should see back BL for every time you press b. Now try to press V (upper case) to get back the loader version number. Note, your version number might be different! Also, this version is NOT related to GHI NETMF SDK or firmware. 11. You are now successfully accessing the bootloader. 12. Erase the flash memory using E command then press Y to confirm (this will take several seconds). Page 21 of 28

After the X command is entered, the GHI boot loader will start sending back the C character continuously. This C is an indicator that tells XMODEM a device is waiting for data.

22 TinyBooter and Firmware Update 13. Loading new firmware is simple but it requires a terminal that supports XMODEM file transfer. XMODEM has many versions, GHI boot loader requires 1K transfers with 16Bit CRC error checking. Keep on using TeraTerm software. Transfer is initiated using the X command. After the X command is entered, the GHI boot loader will start sending back the C character continuously. This C is an indicator that tells XMODEM a device is waiting for data. Once you see the C character appearing on the terminal window, you can select XMODEM transfer and point the software to the firmware file "TinyBooter.GHI. Entering X command... In the menu, select File > Transfer > XMODEM > Send... Next, select the TinyBooter.GHI file from... GHI Electronics\GHI NETMF SDK\EMX\Firmware\TinyBooter Page 22 of 28

23 TinyBooter and Firmware Update Updating the firmware takes a few seconds to load. Once loading has finished and the file is valid, the new firmware is executed automatically and you will not see BL again If you did see the "BL" again after this process, it means that the update process failed. You might need to double check that the downloaded file is not corrupted. At this point you have a clean Flash memory with only Tinybooter waiting to get the new EMX firmware files to updated the system EMX firmware update through TinyBooter In the following steps we will update EMX firmware with Tinybooter and MFDeploy help: 2. First, install the latest GHI NETMF SDK (which includes the latest EMX firmware and TinyBooter binary files). You probably already did when you updated the TinyBooter in the previous section. 3. Insure there is no need to update the TinyBooter or you already did. 4. Press and hold the Up and Down buttons then press and release reset to access TInyBooter mode. You will see on the EMX's TFT display. 5. Run MFDeploy and select USB from the Device list, you should see EMX_EMX in the dropdown. Page 23 of 28

$Click Browse and direct MFDeploy to the firmware HEX files. These can be found under EMX\firmware folder in the SDK.$

24 TinyBooter and Firmware Update 6. Check the communication between MFDeploy and TinyBooter by pinging the device. Press Ping and you should see this message: 7. Now we can lead MFDeploy to the new EMX firmware files. Click Browse and direct MFDeploy to the firmware HEX files. These can be found under EMX\firmware folder in the SDK. The other files with sig extension must exist in the same folder as the HEX files. Select ALL of the HEX files at once and start deploying the firmware by pressing Deploy. Page 24 of 28

25 TinyBooter and Firmware Update Page 25 of 28

26 TinyBooter and Firmware Update 8. Loading the files takes about a minute. On completion the firmware will execute. Double check the version number to make sure the correct firmware is loaded. 9. Loading new firmware will not erase the deployed managed application. If you need to erase the managed application click Erase. Page 26 of 28

27 What is next? 5. What Is Next? There are many documents and resources that helps you out with EMX and.net Micro Framework: EMX User Manual EMX downloads page on GHI blog is always a good place to visit The Micro Framework Project website is an excellent resource A good and free ebook to continue learning about C# is available at Jens Kuhner excellent book on.net Micro Framework USB complete is an excellent book on USB Micro Framework's main page on Microsoft's website Micro Framework Community Page 27 of 28

28 Legal Notice Legal Notice Licensing EMX Module is fully licensed for commercial use. The Module price covers the commercial use of EMX Module with.net Micro Framework. Disclaimer IN NO EVENT SHALL GHI ELECTRONICS, LLC. OR ITS CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS PRODUCT, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. SPECIFICATIONS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT ANY NOTICE. GHI ELECTRONICS, LLC LINE OF PRODUCTS ARE NOT DESIGNED FOR LIFE SUPPORT APPLICATIONS. EMX is a Trademark of GHI Electronics, LLC.NET Micro Framework, Visual Studio, MFDeploy, Windows Vista, Windows SideShow are registered or unregistered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Other Trademarks and Registered Trademarks are Owned by their Respective Companies. Page 28 of 28

ChipworkX Development System

ChipworkX Development System July 21, 2010 G H I Getting Started E l e c t r o n i c s Table of Contents Table of Contents 1.Introduction...3 The objective of this guide...4 2.Getting Started...5 2.1.System Setup...5 2.2.The Emulator...6